


Linear

by PartridgeOnAPearTree



Series: Transversal [7]
Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Anonymous Messages, M/M, math metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-20 14:46:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4791254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartridgeOnAPearTree/pseuds/PartridgeOnAPearTree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The water stilled, and Hinata can finally catch his breath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Slope

**Author's Note:**

> they say that people who put noses in their smileys shouldn't be trusted :-)

Hinata was studying as usual when it first happened.

 

He was alone in the dorm room with nothing but his books and papers to accompany him that time. His phone was peacefully resting on a stack of papers as a way to prevent them from flying all around the room. Komaeda is a neat person that’s why, and Hinata doesn’t want to cause trouble for him.

 

The room was quiet except for the occasional rustling of papers, and if Hinata listens more closely, the sound of the clock ticking can actually be heard. His reading gets interrupted when his phone slightly moves due to the sudden vibration, and he turns his attention to it, grabbing it and checking its screen.

 

One new message, it says.

 

Someone seems to have texted him.

 

Hinata doesn’t really receive text messages a lot—sometimes there are some from his parents, the common ‘ _How’s it going there? Contact us sometime so we know how things are with you’_ ; there are also some from Souda, things like ‘ _Buddy, are you free right now? Let’s drink somewhere!_ ’, or maybe even the rarer (and not preferred) ‘ _Hinata-kun, I'm staying over at Naegi-kun’s dorm room tonight. If an emergency comes up, just call me. :)_ ’

 

He inputs the correct lock pattern, and the newest message seems to be none of the above.

 

‘ _Hajime._ ’

 

That was all it said.

 

Hinata furrows his eyebrows. Maybe it’s from his parents, after all? Nobody really calls Hinata by his first name—well, except for Mioda, but she calls him Hajime-chan, and she does that to everyone. That being first name plus that suffix of endearment.

 

The plain and serious ‘Hajime’ doesn’t suit Mioda at all, but then again, she has always been a little unpredictable…

 

The phone vibrates again, and another message arrives.

 

‘ _Hajimeee._ ’

 

Hinata is really curious now. He types out a short reply of ‘ _Who's this?_ ’ before locking it again and placing it on its previous position. He decides to resume his reading while waiting for the reply of whoever that anonymous person is.

 

He doesn’t wait for too long because the response arrived almost as soon as he sent his message.

 

‘ _Just someone. :-)_ ’

 

_What the actual fuck?_

 

Hinata decides that this is just a prank, probably done by his classmates. Whoever texted him knew his first name, so it’s probably not just a random person. He locks his phone again, thinking that it’s better if he doesn’t waste his time regarding a tasteless prank.

 

It vibrates again not too long later, but he doesn’t check it anymore.

 

There are more important things to do, after all.

 

\--

 

“I'm back, Hinata-kun!”

 

Komaeda’s voice is like his cue to at least momentarily take a break from studying, even for just five to ten minutes. He leaves a pen in between the pages that he was reading and looks up to face Komaeda with a small smile.

 

“You seem happy. Did anything happen?”

 

“I hung out with Naegi-kun’s friends today.” Komaeda’s smile grows even more. “I still find it overwhelming to mingle with Super High School Levels even if I'm such insignificant trash, but I can’t say that I didn’t have fun!”

 

“As I always say, you're a Super High School Level yourself.”

 

“And as I always say too, it’s far too embarrassing to proclaim something like that! Sure, I am the Super High School Level Good Luck, but seriously… my talent is just garbage compared to everyone else’s!”

 

If he only knew.

 

In truth, if it were Hinata who was Super High School Level Luck, he would happily embrace the title and call it his talent. Now that he thinks about it, if only they switch places—Komaeda as the undercover Reserve Course Student and Hinata as Luck—it would have been more convenient. Considering Komaeda’s natural smarts, he would easily get the high grades demanded by those damnable researchers, and getting reconsidered in the main course would have been a walk in the park to him.

 

But then again, Hinata isn’t really thoroughly convinced that Komaeda is untalented except for his luck.

 

And it’s practically impossible for Hinata to be lucky. In fact, he's quite far from that.

 

He wonders if he can get reconsidered at least for Super High School Level Bad Luck because that fits him big time.

 

“Hey, Hinata-kun, I asked you something!” He didn’t even notice that Komaeda is standing by his chair already.

 

“Oh, right, sorry, my mind seems to be floating, haha.” Hinata faces him again. “What did you ask again?”

 

“I just asked if you knew Fujisaki-san. She's so smart! Seeing as she's the Super High School Level Programmer, do you think she can read binary?”

 

“Yeah, of course. Isn’t binary important in programming?”

 

“Well, new programming languages are getting invented more and more nowadays. But then again, she's a Super High School Level, so my question was probably stupid, after all! Of course she should know binary! Someone great like her would!”

 

“Hey, now, it’s okay, you were just wondering out loud, nothing bad about that.”

 

“Hinata-kun really is too kind to forgive my stupidity!” Komaeda giggles. “Anyway, I'm so sorry to have bothered you from your studying. I'm just going to go take a shower now!”

 

Komaeda retreated to the bathroom before Hinata was able to reply.

 

Hinata wasn’t able to say that Komaeda wasn’t a bother and that he doesn’t really mind sacrificing even his studying time for Komaeda.

 

Hinata wasn’t able to say that the distraction Komaeda’s comforting voice provides greatly soothes him.

 

Well, what's new? He always can’t say what he wants to say anyway.

 

\--

 

Hinata completely forgot that he was actually avoiding his phone. He only unpleasantly got reminded when he woke up and checked it first thing in the morning.

 

‘ _Hey, hey, Hajime. :-)_ ’

 

‘ _I saw your crush yesterday. Nagito, right?_ ’

 

‘ _You like that kid, right?_ ’

 

‘ _He's pretty cute, tbh._ ’

 

‘ _Too bad he has a boyfriend, lol. :-D_ ’

 

‘ _It must be rough for you. You’ve been around longer, but then that short kid shows up and fucks things up for you, loool._ ’

 

Hinata blinks at his phone screen. Is he having a nightmare? Are his thoughts finally taunting him until his sleep?

 

…No, that can’t be. One of the things that he has learned from his numerous hours of studying is that one can’t read this clearly in a dream. Even if he doesn’t really want to, he knows that he's reading the messages quite well. The letters look like they're mocking him, each curve looking like they're hiding a smirk behind them, and what he doesn’t want to think about the most is that whoever this asshole is, they know him in real life.

 

Not to mention they know that Hinata liked Komaeda—

 

‘ _Did you ever think you stood a chance? :-)_ ’

 

‘ _Your crush is pretty much hope-obsessed, right? It’s a shame Hope’s Peak welcomed somebody whose title is Super High School Level Hope. :-D_ ’

 

Against his better judgment, Hinata types a hasty reply. His fingers are slightly shaking in anger, and if only it’s not troublesome to not have a phone, he would have flushed it in the toilet.

 

‘ _Fuck off._ ’

 

That was his reply. He swears that’s the last time he's going to waste his time for an anonymous jerk.

 

He swears that he's not going to think about how even if the jerk is anonymous, and not to mention, an asshole, they're right.

 

\--

 

“Whoa, okay, first off, that asshole is not me.” Souda raises both of his hands in surrender, looking attacked. “Look, I know I called Komaeda’s boyfriend short too, but I swear I ain't gonna insult you like this, bro. Soul friends don’t do that.”

 

Just before Hinata could respond to Souda, the phone in his hand vibrates. Souda takes a deep breath, his expression screaming ‘told you so’, before peeking at the screen too.

 

‘ _Nagito and his boyfriend are too touchy-feely. Ever seen them hanging out?_ ’

 

“See? I told you it’s not me.” Souda makes a face. “And look, I’d never call him Nagito, for Christ’s sake… even if I acknowledge that his ass is—”

 

“Dude, shut up.” Hinata glares at Souda as he locks his phone. “Look, you're the only one I told about me liking Komaeda. Did you tell someone else?”

 

“Course not!” Souda repeatedly shook his head. “Well, to be honest, I would have told Sonia-san if she asked, but she didn’t! So I swear I didn’t tell anyone else, buddy!”

 

Hinata frowns. “That’s very reassuring.”

 

“Look, Hinata, don’t get upset. It’s not like I actually went ahead and told someone already.”

 

“Already? So I’d have to wait for you to do that before I get upset when you're already thinking about it?”

 

“Come on, sorry, bro.” Souda pats him on the back. “But it’s only fair anyway, right? I mean, if Komaeda asks, you'd tell him that I like Sonia-san, right?”

 

“…You do know that everyone knows that anyway, right?”

 

“Seriously!?”

 

Hinata tunes out Souda’s voice after that, realizing that this whole conversation is just tiring him out even more. He shouldn’t just think about it, he decides. He’ll just delete all the messages coming from that person, he won’t react, and that way, he's sure that they'd stop whoever they are.

 

He gets his phone from his pocket to do exactly just that when he sees another unopened message.

 

‘ _Do you think Nagito is a virgin?_ ’

 

Hinata freezes on the spot when he sees the words, almost as if they're staring at him to intimidate him. It looks like an immature question, totally something that Hinata should just forget and never think about again, but he’d be lying if he says that he never thought about it.

 

Sex probably is not a big deal to other people, and saying that it’s the ultimate expression of love is probably debatable, but Hinata knew that Komaeda is a rather conservative person who values personal space. For someone like Komaeda to let someone sleep with him must require a great deal of trust and intimacy.

 

That’s why the question affected Hinata in the first place.

 

Because he recalls that certain night when he walked in on Komaeda and Naegi in a position that he wished he just didn’t see—Naegi backing Komaeda to the wall that their bunk bed is next to, his hand caressing Komaeda’s cheek, and his lips deeply buried on Komaeda’s reddened neck.

 

Hinata closing the door was something he didn’t think about—it was instinctive, as if it were his body’s own way of protecting itself. Like a person who touched an incredibly hot surface, pulling away was natural, a reflex, something done automatically.

 

It was good to see at least that his body still knows how to protect itself.

 

But despite that, despite his senses’ best efforts to shield his body from pain, he can’t deny that he still felt like he was being drowned when he saw what was happening.

 

It’s stupid, actually. It’s stupid to feel this way. Naegi and Komaeda were a couple, they loved each other, so it was only natural that they'd do something like that. Kissing, caressing each other, sleeping together—

 

“Hinata, dude, are you even serious!?” Souda’s overly loud voice threw him back to reality. “Everyone really knows!?”

 

Hinata actually forgot for a moment what exactly Souda is talking about. His head was filled with nothing but images of Naegi and Komaeda showing their intimacy, and he can swear that most of those images are imagined and exaggerated by his own mind.

 

“…Yeah.” Hinata nods, but he knows that he looks too absentminded for his own liking. “I'm serious.”

 

That could have been him.

 

Komaeda could have trusted him enough to share that kind of close relationship with him.

 

Could have, should have, would have, but no.

 

\--

 

The phone vibrates on Hinata’s pocket again, and he takes it out to place it on his stack of papers. Paperweight. That’s the best role his phone can do for him right now. There were five unread messages last time he checked, and that was six hours ago. He could only guess how many there are at the moment…

 

He wonders who the stranger is and why they're wasting their time sending pointless messages to Hinata in the first place.

 

He wonders why he gets so affected by the aforementioned pointless messages.

 

He wonders if the messages are indeed pointless.

 

\--

 

Hinata and Komaeda are intersecting lines.

 

Or at least that’s what Hinata thought back then.

 

Intersecting lines share one point at least, even if they meet only once… but he's mistaken, isn’t he? They're not intersecting lines. They're parallel lines—lines that will go on and on forever without meeting at least once, two lines that can carry on without even intersecting.

 

It’s a sad thought, one that Hinata doesn’t want to accept.

 

Then there's the transversal, a line that passes through two parallel lines.

 

The transversal is—

 

“Are you reviewing this, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda’s soft voice makes him feel like silk is brushing against his ears. “Transversal?”

 

“Yeah.” Hinata looks up to Komaeda, wondering if he looks too absent at the moment. “This topic is really easy, so whenever new lessons stress me out, I return to this one just so I can feel like there's something I'm actually really familiar with.”

 

And that wasn’t entirely a lie.

 

It wasn’t entirely the truth either.

 

It’s true that he does find the transversal topic easy, but he mostly returns because it was a lesson they had last year, and last year was a time period that he’d want to relive and relive all over again until he dies. Studying a lesson that he already knows about gives him the illusion that he was back to the old times, to the times when getting even closer to Komaeda was possible, to the times when he stood a chance.

 

Now that Hinata thinks about it, maybe he's an asymptote, after all—a line that continually approaches a given curve but will never meet it at any finite distance.

 

But hey, apparently, the asymptote can meet the curve at infinity.

 

Maybe Hinata has to wait for infinity too.

 

\--

 

“Hinata, dude, I texted you last night because I needed help with our homework!” Souda says as soon as he sees Hinata. “Why didn’t you reply, man? Can I borrow it now?”

 

“Needed help, you mean you wanted to compare answers…” Hinata mutters, but he takes out his homework and hands it to Souda anyway. “Also, I wasn’t checking my phone, so sorry about that.”

 

“Oh?” Souda takes out a pen from his pocket and starts scribbling on his own notebook. “Ah, is it because of the unknown jerk? Why don’t you just block the number?”

 

“Right… I should have done that firsthand, huh.” Hinata sincerely wonders why he didn’t. He pulls out his phone from his pocket, feeling a bit nervous for some reason. He feels so unsettled, like there's something wrong with the mere idea of unlocking his phone again.

 

He’ll just unlock his phone, delete the already existing messages, and block the number… so why is he so nervous?

 

There was the nagging feeling that there's something wrong—the sensation feels like a persistent itch that he can’t ignore. He does his best to think nothing of it as he feels the cold material of his phone against his hand, and he wonders if he would be exaggerating if he says that he felt like shivering then and there.

 

He gulps as he swipes the correct pattern, and he feels his entire back going cold.

 

‘ _I don’t think Nagito is a virgin. Ever asked?_ ’

 

‘ _Hey, do you think he ever liked you? :-)_ ’

 

‘ _The way you look at him is so obvious. Anyone with a working brain will know that you like him, lol. Try being a little subtle, just a tip._ ’

 

‘ _But hey, does it even matter, amirite? He doesn’t notice anyway, lmao._ ’

 

‘ _How does it feel being bested by a kid shorter than you? :-)_ ’

 

‘ _How does it feel to be roommates with your crush? :-)_ ’

 

‘ _Lol, does his boyfriend know that you like him? Bad Hajime._ ’

 

‘ _How rich would you be if you were given a yen each time you think of Nagito?_ ’

 

‘ _No good, Hajime. Why aren’t you replying?_ ’

 

‘ _Or you're probably not reading the messages in the first place. Typical Hajime. Your escapism is probably the reason why you're in the Reserve Course. Ooops._ ’

 

‘ _:-)_ ’

 

“Hinata, are you alright?” Souda peers over him, and Hinata shoves the phone back to his pocket as fast as he can. His back was still feeling cold, like his body completely forgot how to even generate warmth, and he wanted to do nothing but run. “Hinata… You're pale, man. Did the asshole say anything new? What's going on?”

 

“N-Nothing.” His voice trembled, and he hated that. “I, uh, kinda need to go somewhere, Souda. Would you mind if I ditch for a while?”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure, it’s okay, I don’t mind.” Souda replies, but his brows are still furrowed. “Bro, if it’s bothering you, maybe I can do something about it? Ain't sure, but there prolly is at least something…”

 

Hinata just shakes his head. He can’t pull anyone to this. Souda would have to ask what exactly the message said because he’d have to understand why Hinata was so unsettled, but nobody can know. Nobody can know about him being in the Reserve Course. Nobody can know about the Reserve Course.

 

Even if he wants to tell someone so badly, even if he himself isn’t comfortable with the fact that absolutely no close schoolmate of his is actually aware of what he really is, even if the feeling of lying is always continually looming over him, he still can’t let anyone learn about it.

 

But despite that, despite all his best efforts of hiding—

 

There's someone.

 

There's someone who knows.

 

\--

 

 

If there's anyone Hinata would tell, it’d be Naegi.

 

Naegi was trustworthy. Naegi was accepting. Just by being next to him, Hinata effectively feels heavily inadequate, but it’s not like it’s Naegi’s fault that he's basically perfect, kindness incarnate… (hope incarnate?) Whenever Hinata interacts with him, he realizes each time why it was Naegi who's with Komaeda at the moment instead of himself.

 

Naegi is everything that Hinata aspired to be but valiantly failed.

 

Despite this, despite seeing the evident difference in abilities between him and Naegi, despite seeing that Naegi is obviously superior over him, Hinata still can’t fully accept what's happening.

 

Really, he should be used to it by now, but he can’t deny that he still feels like his chest is being constantly rolled on a sea of glass shards whenever he remembers his situation.

 

\--

 

‘ _Who are you and what the fuck do you want?_ ’

 

That was what Hinata sent as he sat down somewhere secluded. He made sure he was ready to start a phone call at any moment’s notice, even going as far as to search for a place where no one can overhear, but he was pretty sure that the anonymous person won’t answer it anyway. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be ready.

 

‘ _Glad to see that got a reaction. :-)_ ’

 

‘ _Quit fucking around. How did you find out?_ ’ Hinata stares at his typed reply for a while before deciding to send it. He feels like he's not being compelling at all, but really, what can he do? The fact that he's talking to someone who knows his valued secret, and not to mention that he doesn’t know who exactly this someone is… it just unsettles him greatly.

 

In truth, he wanted to confront those stuck-up researchers because they're the only ones who are supposed to be aware, therefore they're the only ones who could have spread the secret too, but Hinata isn’t sure what kind of consequences he’d suffer if they find out.

 

What if it weren’t them, after all? What if they return Hinata to the Reserve Course for failing to cover up?

 

Hinata just can’t take chances because unlike Komaeda, he has never really been the lucky type.

 

‘ _I have my ways. :-)_ ’

 

He feels his eye twitching when he reads the reply. ‘ _I'm trying to be civil with you. What do you want?_ ’

 

‘ _Lol, is it fun in there? How does it feel having an exclusive club for untalented people? Do you guys throw pity parties?_ ’

 

‘ _Just fuck off. If you're so great, why are you even bothering yourself with mocking a mere Reserve Course Student like me? Go fuck yourself or whatever it is that you talented people do._ ’

 

‘ _Lol, that’s very creative. No wonder Nagito likes you so much, lmao._ ’

 

Hinata grits his teeth as he starts typing again, but he catches himself this time. He closes his eyes and slowly counts to ten in his head. This isn’t good. It’s not good to let himself be affected by a person who can’t even face him in real life.

 

Or so he thinks as a poor attempt to comfort himself.

 

\--

 

The inexplicable feeling of agitation shows up again when he returns to the dorm room that day and finds Komaeda glaring at a small black book in his hands. Maybe it was just because of the fact that Komaeda doesn’t really frown that frequently, but he can swear that there was something else.

 

There was another reason why he was so nervous, and he can’t quite put his finger on it.

 

In fact, his whole body feels heavy, like it has been bound by chains from below.

 

“Komaeda?” Hinata walks over Komaeda anyway despite the unease just growing even more. “Are you okay? What's that?”

 

“Nothing important.” Komaeda almost hastily replies, accompanying his words with a fast close of the book. He smiles at Hinata, and it was amazing how most of his nervousness seems to have been instantly wiped away. “I'm okay, Hinata-kun, thanks for asking. How about you? You seem really tired.”

 

Hinata feels his heart skipping a beat at the question. “Aren't I, always?” He rolls his eyes and chuckles softly, trying to distract himself from Komaeda’s seemingly piercing eyes. “Are you really okay, though? You looked really upset about something.”

 

“I really am okay.” Komaeda chuckles. Hinata would have continued doubting if it weren’t for that overly sincere-sounding voice. “Hinata-kun, you worry too much.”

 

“I do, huh…” He absentmindedly mutters. Maybe he really is just overthinking things again. He has the tendency to do that, after all.

 

“Ah, right, right! I remembered something!” Komaeda’s smile widens even more, and Hinata finds himself willing to just get lost in that sight. “I'm sure Hinata-kun is busy and would rather study right now, but there is something that I wanted to talk about.”

 

“Oh?” If Komaeda specifically wanted to talk about something, then Hinata would never be able to bring himself to refuse. “It’s okay, really. I can use a break. What is it?”

 

_Use a break, my ass._ In truth, he’d die a million times for this kind of chance because it’s extremely rare nowadays.

 

“Well, see, I just wanted to ask if Hinata-kun has ever heard of Hope’s Peak Academy’s Reserve Course Department.”

 

_…Huh?_

 

Time seems to have stopped.

 

Komaeda was looking at him expectantly, and contrary to the sensation of his whole back cooling down earlier, at the moment, he feels like he's being burned alive. It’s like standing mere centimeters away from a bonfire after being drenched with gasoline.

 

“…What?” Hinata doesn’t know what kind of face he's making at the moment, but he's pretty sure that fear and disbelief must be part of his current expressions. Is it Komaeda? Was Komaeda the one texting him?

 

He mentally punches himself. He's being stupid again. There's no way that Komaeda would do something like that. And besides, if it were indeed Komaeda, that must mean that he knows about Hinata’s feelings for him… and that _is_ impossible. “I don’t understand… Why?”

 

“Sorry! I'm really sorry!” Komaeda looks so sincere in his apology, but that doesn’t do anything about the increasing speed of Hinata’s heartbeat. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I mean, it’s okay if you don’t know what the Reserve Course Department is. It’s not like they're important! I was just wondering if you know about them, so—”

 

‘ _It’s not like they're important._ ’

 

“Wait, wait,” Hinata feels like his head has been repeatedly slammed against a wall. He can swear that he's currently hearing an incessant buzzing in his head. “Sorry to interrupt you, but where exactly did you hear about this Reserve Course Department?”

 

“Oh.” Komaeda nods at the book that Hinata saw him reading earlier. Hinata’s feeling of dread instantly doubles. “I found a book in the library, and I thought that maybe Hinata-kun knows about them too. But as I said, they're hardly important, so I really understand if you never heard about them!”

 

‘ _They're hardly important._ ’

 

Hinata knows. Hinata knows that, and he doesn’t know why the universe seems to keep on reiterating that to him. “May I see the book?” He applauds himself for not trembling.

 

“Sure, of course. Don’t expect great things though, you'd be disappointed.” Komaeda looked so innocent saying that that it was ridiculous how much it made Hinata feel like he was being punched. “Don’t remove the bookmark, please!”

 

_Don’t expect great things._

He chants in his mind, wishing that Komaeda doesn’t notice the fact that his hands are trembling as he takes the book. He doesn’t even know why he's feeling so threatened at the moment. He wonders if he's being too irrational, too panicked, too concerned—

 

‘ _Hope’s Peak Academy is a highly prestigious and exclusive school, and only a selected few—_ ’

 

He already knows this.

 

‘ _Enter the Reserve Course Department. The Reserve Course Department is a group of students who only satisfy one of the requirements—_ ’

 

He already knows this.

 

He already knows all of this, and it was making him sick how he knows everything printed on these sheets of paper. He knows how pathetic they are, how pathetic he himself is, how they are nothing but monetary support to the academy.

 

He knows, he knows, so why does this keep on happening? Why is the world rubbing things that he already knows to his face? Why is there someone texting him about the Reserve Course, texting him about the fact that his feelings for Komaeda are unrequited, texting him about how inferior he is to everyone?

 

Then now Komaeda found this book, and he's not being less than vocal about how he finds the Reserve Course (finds Hinata) worthless, disgusting, _good-for-nothing_ —

 

“…You found this in the library?” That can’t be. That shouldn’t be, shouldn’t be, shouldn’t—no material regarding the Reserve Course should be in the library because no one can know, no one must know, so _why_ , why does Komaeda have this book?

 

“Yep!” Komaeda looks so enthusiastic it’s not even funny anymore. “But it doesn’t look like a library book, huh? I mean, it doesn’t even have the usual stamp that the library’s books have… so I actually just took it from the library—”

 

“Fake.” Hinata hurriedly interrupts, pushing the book towards Komaeda’s hands as if it’s burning him. “I think it’s fake. It’s not even Hope’s Peak’s book, so someone with a hyperactive imagination probably put it in there.”

 

_Liar, liar, liar._

“Well, I suppose that’s a possibility…” Komaeda lightly rubs his chin, looking at the floor. “…but I think it’s also plausible that it’s true. I mean, it is indeed a wonder how Hope’s Peak has enough funds to have the advanced technology that we sometimes have the opportunity of seeing. We don’t usually go to the Biology Lab, but I'm sure you remember the different apparatuses that we saw, Hinata-kun.”

 

 

No, no, no.

 

Hinata usually argues well, but he never really deliberately took the false side before. He's scared to accidentally blurt out an obvious contradiction, for Komaeda to find out that Hinata's covering up the fact that he's nothing but a talentless liar all this time.

 

“Even so.” Hinata feels like he's sounding really more and more unbelievable as he shakes his head. “How can you believe a concept as… weird as that? Hope’s Peak having a different branch, and not to mention, a group of… untalented students? The whole country views the academy as the most prestigious, and do you really believe that a school as important as Hope’s Peak Academy will just simply sell its name like that?”

 

It hurts to say that out loud.

 

He knows about it really well, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he's comfortable with talking about it. It hurts to proclaim that they're just a bunch of untalented students, it hurts to sound so hypocritical, it hurts to blatantly lie to Komaeda.

 

“It’s not impossible, Hinata-kun, but I respect your opinion.” It hurts that Komaeda’s not wrong.“I understand where you're coming from, I really do, I know that you admire Hope’s Peak as much as I admire it, and the idea of the Reserve Course, I know, is very upsetting.”

 

‘ _Upsetting._ ’

 

Hinata just wants to cover his ears and run away. He can almost hear what Komaeda’s going to say next, and he knows that it’s not going to feel nice, but he still isn’t able to move from his position. He can’t. “The possibility that people so disrespectful exist, not to mention that they are a whole department, is indeed very… revolting. There's also the fact that they just used money to get in… and that’s just very disgusting indeed.”

 

‘ _Disrespectful._ ’

 

‘ _Revolting._ ’

 

‘ _Just used money to get in._ ’

 

‘ _Disgusting._ ’

 

“…Yeah.” Hinata doesn’t even want to go against Komaeda’s statements anymore because there was nothing wrong with what he said. Hinata feels weak, like he can’t do anything but just accept everything what he's hearing. “You're right.”

 

And Hinata hates that. It hurts that Komaeda’s right.

 

Hinata just wanted to be proud of himself. He thought that after getting in Hope’s Peak Academy, the embodiment of his hopes and dreams, he’d finally be able to attain his contentment. Even if his circumstances were different from the usual enrollment, he still wholly believed in good faith that it will help him somehow.

 

He didn’t expect that he’d stand out enough to be given an opportunity to mix with the main course, and while that sounded like a heavenly idea at first, it actually just made him realize that the talented ones live in a completely different world than him.

 

It made him realize that enrolling in the Reserve Course was nothing but merely getting in Hope’s Peak, and doing so doesn’t really do anything about the fact that he's untalented, unremarkable, completely average—it doesn’t change that there's still nothing he can be proud of.

 

In fact, it only made him feel more ashamed.

 

He got in by the way of money, the difference in skills became more visible, he fell for someone who'll never feel the same way for him, he's not good enough for the person that he likes, he can’t even compete with the one his liked person fancies—

 

“…Komaeda, I, uh, have a question to make.” Hinata himself doesn’t know why he's still trying. “Assuming that the Reserve Course is real, don’t you think that it’s at least admirable that the students there are trying to gain a talent? I mean, it’s beyond your bookmark, so you probably haven’t read that part yet, but the book also stated that the Reserve Course is trying to get reconsidered in the main course.”

 

Hinata feels like he's desperately swimming as fast as he can in fear of sinking and forever losing oxygen as he waits for Komaeda’s response. He feels like he's desperately trying not to breathe because if he does, the water will get in his system, and he’ll faint, and things will be over for him, and everything he's worked for—

 

Komaeda hums. “If I were to be asked… I’d say it’s not even worth admiring.”

 

His swimming is slowing down, and it’s getting even harder to breathe. “…Yeah?”

 

“Talent can’t be learned, Hinata-kun. It’s an inborn thing. I think the Reserve Course is just wasting everybody’s time.”

 

The water was too strong.

 

It pushed him on all sides, but he's still trying to swim away.

 

“Seems so.” Hinata feels like he's choking up. “…I, uh, just realized that I left one of my books in the classroom. I'm just going back to get it real fast, Komaeda. See you in a bit. I’ll return quickly.”

 

And for now, he was able to.

 

\--

 

He just wanted to be proud of himself.

 

He just wanted to be proud of himself. He just wanted to be proud of himself. He just wanted to be proud of himself. He just wanted to be proud of himself. He just wanted to be proud of himself. He just wanted to be proud of himself. He just wanted to be proud of himself. He just wanted to be proud of himself—

 

_Is that bad?_

 

\--

 

‘ _So exactly how much is the tuition fee of a Reserve Course Student?_ ’

 

[Delete this message?]

 

[Yes.]

 

Hinata puts the phone down and carries on with his business. He was removing his books and notebooks from his bag before he was interrupted. It was the normal setup of things—Hinata studying while waiting for Komaeda to go home. Then once Komaeda finally returns, Hinata would allow himself to chat with him for a while before continuing with reading.

 

As soon as all his books and notebooks are ready and placed on the table, his phone vibrates. He grabs it, making sure to steel himself before doing so. He was ready with whatever the person will tell him. He has heard everything before, and he doesn’t care anymore.

 

‘ _So how much does your family pay? The tuition fee of a Reserve Course Student or that of one from the main course? I mean, it’d be great if they give you considerations since you're their test subject, lol. :-D_ ’

 

‘ _Since you're so studious, you probably know how experimentation works, right? You do know your entire situation is just an experiment, right? That’s pretty sad, imo._ ’

 

[Delete selected messages?]

 

[Yes.]

 

Hinata already knows that. He knows he's nothing but a lab rat, he's nothing but a variable in a big experiment, and since he already knows, he's not going to let himself be affected. It’s not good to be vulnerable each time he receives a message—

 

‘ _It’s really no fun when you're not replying. :-/_ ’

 

‘ _How about this? If you don’t reply, I’ll tell Nagito that you're from the Reserve Course. So don’t even think about blocking my number or deleting my messages. Don’t think I'm bluffing either. Attached to this message is his contact number. That’s his, right? :-) I can contact him anytime I want._ ’

 

‘ _You have a minute. Time is ticking~_ ’

 

Hinata freezes.

 

Now he has never heard that before, nor did he expect it. He's trying to formulate a good reply, and he wonders why he even is bothering. He can just mash in a random combination of letters or maybe a bunch of exclamation points. That counts as a reply anyway, right?

 

He doesn’t know how many seconds have passed before he was able to finally send in something. He ended up sending a blank message, and just mere seconds after, the minute-hand of the clock placed on the table moved.

 

He breathes deeply, clutching his phone tighter in his hand, as he stares at the screen.

 

‘ _Haha, I knew that'd work. You really don’t want him to know, huh?_ ’

 

‘ _Can you just tell me what the fuck is up with you because frankly, I'm really tired with all your bullshit. You don’t have to pull Komaeda into this._ ’

 

‘ _:-) So how much are you paying the school?_ ’

 

‘ _The amount that the Reserve Course Students pay. Happy now? Is that all? Can you stop bothering me now?_ ’

 

‘ _And that is how much?_ ’

 

‘ _Triple the usual._ ’

 

‘ _Whoa, that’s how desperate you guys are, huh. Lol. It’s almost admirable._ ’

 

‘ _How did you find out that I'm from the Reserve Course?_ ’

 

‘ _I already answered that. I have my ways. :-)_

_Anyway, I'm the one asking questions here. How does it feel to be a pathetic lab rat?_ ’

 

‘ _Is this an actual question or are you just being an asshole?_ ’

 

‘ _I'm going to tell Nagito your secret. :-)_ ’

 

‘ _It feels horrible. Happy now? Please don’t tell Komaeda._ ’

 

‘ _I sent it, proof and all. :-)_ ’

 

Hinata froze. ‘ _This is a joke, right?’_ That was what he typed, but his fingers won’t even hover over the send button. He feels like the water was catching up to him again, the waves much stronger this time, and he knows that if he gets caught, he won’t be able to escape for good.

 

As if using all his strength, he sends his typed reply.

 

He taps on the screen repeatedly to keep it from sleeping. The usually fast reply of the anonymous person is taking really too long to arrive, and every second used for waiting feels like acid burning on Hinata’s skin. His hands feel moist, and there is a heavy sensation that seems to have momentarily moved from his chest to his stomach.

 

The person that he won’t want to know about this the most is Komaeda. Hell, he’d put up with everyone else knowing, even if absolutely all of them will scorn him for it, as long as it will guarantee that Komaeda will never ever know. Hinata knows how horrible and dishonest that sounds, how _selfish_ he's being with that thought, but he doesn’t even feel like retracting it even it makes him feel so terribly guilty—

 

The reply hasn’t arrived yet. The sensation that Hinata can currently feel in his stomach feels like butterflies… only, instead of butterflies, there were balls of fire blazing as strongly as they could, burning him from the inside with all their might.

 

Why does this have to happen?

 

Why to him?

 

He was just a normal guy, damn, he doesn’t even have a talent, so why—

 

The door opens almost at the same time as the phone in Hinata’s hand vibrates.

 

‘ _Yep, I was kidding. Scared you, didn’t I? Lmao. X-D_ ’

 

He feels his body relaxing slowly, the uncomfortable sensations that he's feeling weakening and weakening. He puts down the phone and pushes it to the far end of the table as he rests his head on his palms. It’s okay now, he chants in his head. It was all just a joke, Komaeda’s home now, he still doesn’t know anything, _everything’s alright_ —

 

He feels a soft hand on his shoulder, and he badly wants to look up to face Komaeda, to just let himself get distracted by the seemingly permanently gentle expression on Komaeda’s face… but he can’t even bring himself to do at least that.

 

“Hinata-kun…” His fingers continue with slowly massaging his own head, and he closes his eyes as he keeps on chanting to himself that things are okay now, that he should stop worrying, the asshole was just being an asshole, Komaeda’s still here, not disgusted, not judging, but even comforting him— “…Is there anything I can do to help? What's going on?”

 

He feels the strong urge to pound a fist on the table, and he doesn’t resist it. The pain from the impact pulls him back to the real world, and he suddenly shifts back to worry because he doesn’t want to startle Komaeda, and now it’s possible that he did just because he wasn’t strong enough to control himself.

 

“I-I'm okay.” His voice was still shaking. He thought that he was already calming down, but it seems that he was mistaken. He turned to Komaeda, and he felt conflicted the moment he saw those worried eyes. He didn’t want to worry Komaeda… but he does enjoy the attention at the same time.

 

 

“I'm okay.” He repeats. “I'm okay.”

 

“Hinata-kun…” Komaeda’s frowning. It was rare for Komaeda to do that, so Hinata doesn’t know if he should be flattered or sorry. “What's the matter?”

 

“I'm okay.” Hinata doesn’t know why those are the only words that he's capable of saying at the moment. He does his best to add. “I swear I'm okay, Komaeda. I'm really okay.”

 

“…You're worrying me.” Komaeda’s words were a mere whisper, but Hinata caught them clearly. Hinata’s eyes widen in surprise. How long has it been since he last heard those words? “Please tell me what's going on so I can at least help you, Hinata-kun… I know that I'm useless, but—”

 

“No.” Hinata quickly interrupts. Komaeda is self-deprecating because of him. Hinata really is horrible, horrible, _horrible—_ “That’s not it. That’s not it at all. It’s just that…”

 

Komaeda nods at him, urging him to continue. Hinata feels the need to take a deep breath before continuing. “…This is going to sound weird, but…” He allows himself to place a hand on Komaeda’s. “…Please change your number.”

 

“…Huh?” Komaeda looks confused, not that that’s a wonder. Even Hinata knows how weird his request sounded. “Why?”

 

“Just…” He breathes deeply again. He doesn’t like lying. He doesn’t like hiding. But he has to. “…Please? Please just change it.”

 

“I don’t understand, but okay…” Komaeda still looked confused for a moment before he decides to replace his expression with a smile, and Hinata just loves his smile very much. “I’ll give Hinata-kun my new number as soon as possible.”

 

“Thank you.” Hinata sighs. He doesn’t even bother to hide the relief from his voice. He embraces Komaeda for a moment, and even if all he wants to do is stay like that longer, he knows that he can’t overstep his boundaries. “…Really sorry for the weird request. I’ll make it up to you sometime, alright?”

 

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda’s soft hand is now on his hair, and he resists leaning to the touch too obviously. “I should be the one making up things to you, so… it’s really okay.”

 

He didn’t know. He didn’t know that Komaeda felt that way… so he allowed himself to be a little bit selfish. He can’t even fight the small smile on his face that now managed to show up. “If you feel that way… can you hang out with me right now then? Or if you're busy, I'm okay with some other time…”

 

“Ah, right now is a good time, actually.” Komaeda smiles back. “What does Hinata-kun want to do?”

 

Hinata didn’t really expect his invitation to be accepted. He was so used to just asking for the heck of it but still secretly anticipating rejection. This turn of events, albeit unexpected, was not something that he would complain about.

 

“We should do something fun, huh…” Hinata softly chuckles. He still can’t believe it. Komaeda actually still wants to hang out with him. “I mean, when I said ‘hang out’, I was thinking of studying together, but now that I think more hardly about it, it’s better if we do something for fun, after all… So, uh, do you want to do anything?”

 

“Studying is alright with me, actually. But then again, I think Hinata-kun is studying too much, so it’s probably better for you to unwind.” Komaeda pulls up Hinata from the chair. His hands really are so smooth. “Do you want to eat dinner somewhere? Or have you eaten already?”

 

\--

 

Unpleasant things happened too that night, but this night was the best he had so far.

 

Even if he found out that Komaeda pulled Naegi to yet another thing that the two of them used to enjoy together, even if he found out that Naegi replaced him yet again regarding something, even if he shamelessly lost control and confronted Komaeda about something that they already discussed, even if he felt like he did something wrong when he did that, even if because of that the mood was ruined, even if the air was a little tense all the way—

 

It still was the best night that he had so far because he can’t even remember the last time he went to a restaurant with Komaeda, hell, he can’t even remember the last time they actually ate a meal together. He can’t remember the last time they sat for a long time with nothing to interrupt them, just talking and talking…

 

And even if it was quite far from how things were before because the atmosphere carried a certain tenseness in it, Hinata was happy because really, is he still in the position to complain?

 

\--

 

‘ _Real talk. How does it feel to exist without having anything you can do excellently? Lmao._ ’

 

‘ _It’s funny how the researchers are covering up for you. To quote, they said, “His talent is too important for anyone to just know.” Really funny, right?_ ’

 

[Delete selected messages?]

 

[Yes.]

 

[Are you sure you want to block this number?]

 

[Yes.]

 

[You can still view the blocked messages in the ‘Blocked’ folder.]

 

Like hell Hinata would want to peek at that folder again. There's a reason why those messages are blocked, after all. He has nothing to fear anymore. Komaeda changed his number, so the asshole has nothing that can be used to blackmail Hinata any longer.

 

He can finally proceed with his peaceful everyday without having to be bombarded by demeaning and unwanted anonymous messages every second. He won’t have to be compelled to reply anymore in fear of being exposed.

 

Everything’s okay now.

 

The water stilled, and Hinata can finally catch his breath.

 

-        -- -- -- --

 


	2. Intercept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That was when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulls it out, still with a smile, remembering once again that he's at his most peaceful right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!!! :-)

It has been a week since Hinata blocked that phone number. He really should have just done that as soon as he received the first message so that they never had the opportunity to blackmail him in the first place. The peace it brought him was unbelievable—he thinks these past seven days were the most relaxing that he had in a while.

 

But then again, that was probably because he tasted a strong surge of internal gale. Even Komaeda acknowledges that the best kind of hope is one that came from conquering despair, after all.

 

The door opens and Hinata looks up with a smile. “Welcome back, Komaeda!” Smiling this widely, it makes Hinata feel like everything’s actually going perfectly. “Already ate dinner?”

 

“You're in a really good mood, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda comments, returning his mirth with an equally cheerful smile. “I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Do you want to go out?”

 

“Yeah, that’s why I asked in the first place.” Hinata closes his notebook. Truth to be told, he doesn’t even think he was able to study because he was busy waiting for Komaeda to arrive. The slightest creak of the door and the softest footsteps that he could hear from outside the door alerted him from his studying each time, but he didn’t even feel bad. “Would you be okay with going to the city next to this? It’s not very far, and I'm sure we’ll get there quite quickly.”

 

Komaeda giggles. “Silly Hinata-kun! We already went there before, right? Did you forget?”

 

“No, of course not. Why would I even forget?” Hinata pauses. “It’s just that we have classes tomorrow, so I just thought you might not want to go there tonight.”

 

“I don’t really mind!” Komaeda skips towards him and holds out a hand. “Let’s go?”

 

\--

 

Hinata liked this city.

 

He can remember that there was a good deal of time back then where Komaeda and he went here to play in the arcade every weekend. The overall ambiance of this place too is just really energetic all the time, and it always gets to Hinata.

 

He can’t remember a time when this city failed to cheer him up.

 

Despite it being nighttime, the entire area is filled with people, and everywhere he looked there are bright lights glowing. Everyone seems to be laughing and happily trading stories with each other as they walk in the busy streets.

 

Hinata turns to Komaeda, and he lets himself grab Komaeda’s soft hand in his. “Just so we won’t get separated… There are lots of people as usual, huh?”

 

Komaeda squeezes his hand back, and for the first time in a long while, Hinata felt the pleasant kind of nervousness within himself. “It’s always like that here, huh? Well, you know what they say—the city never sleeps, haha!”

 

“Isn't that expression strictly for New York?”

 

Komaeda giggles. “I heard that it started being used for other cities too, you know! This city is just always so energetic! I think the expression fits really well!”

 

“Well, you're right.” Hinata nods as they continue walking. “Do you want to eat somewhere specific?”

 

“I'm okay with anywhere Hinata-kun decides!” Komaeda practically skips as he walks. “I think every restaurant in this city is good anyway, so any is fine!”

 

Whenever someone replies that way, it just makes deciding feel even more difficult for Hinata. Especially now… since he feels this is the happiest he has had in a while, he feels an overwhelming pressure to see to it that this night ends up perfect.

 

Would it be too devious of him if he considers this a date?

 

Ah, how horrible is he really?

 

He quickly shakes the thought off because it’d be really bad if he considers a friendly and innocent hangout as a date.

 

“Well… I’ve been craving sushi for a while now.” Hinata turns to Komaeda as he asks. “Would you be fine with that?”

 

“Sure! I don’t see why not!” Komaeda smiles at him. “Sushi actually sounds like an excellent idea right now. As expected of Hinata-kun!”

 

‘ _As expected of Hinata-kun._ ’

 

If only Komaeda knew what he's saying.

 

Fighting the negativity of his thoughts, Hinata just squeezes Komaeda’s hand again as they walk to the sushi bar.

 

\--

 

Even the sushi bar was filled with people, but luckily (this probably is due to Komaeda’s luck, not Hinata’s), there were exactly two seats left. They sit down across each other, and Hinata was truthfully content with just staring at Komaeda like this for all time.

 

“Lucky there were two seats left!” Komaeda comments, voicing out Hinata’s thoughts. “My luck really is good when it is good!”

 

“Your luck is amazing.” ‘You're amazing’ was actually what Hinata would say, but he won’t do that. “So… tell me whenever you're ready to order, okay?”

 

“Ah, right.” Komaeda takes a look at the menu as if forgetting that they're here to eat in the first place. “What will Hinata-kun get?”

 

“This one, I guess. I’ve been daydreaming about this.” Hinata points to the picture of crab sushi in the menu. “How about you?”

 

“I’ll take the same one then! Crab is tasty anyway!” Komaeda puts down the menu and giggles. “Remember that time when our class went to the beach? Saionji-san was so enthusiastic about squishing crabs!”

 

“I'm not sure you should look that happy while saying that.” Or so Hinata comments, but he actually has a small smile on his face as well. It felt nice, actually. It felt nice to see Komaeda bringing up things from back then. “What about drinks?”

 

“I’ll have whatever Hinata-kun will have.”

 

“Seriously? You're okay with orange juice?”

 

Komaeda chuckles at that. “Why not? Is there something wrong with orange juice?”

 

“Well, no… well, okay, I’ll order now if everything’s okay already. Do you want anything else?”

 

“Hinata-kun, you sound like you're the waiter!” Komaeda giggles. “Do you want some viva ice?”

 

“Oh… well, do you?”

 

“Yep! But if Hinata-kun wants one too then I suggest that you don’t buy one for yourself.” Komaeda smiles. “I'm feeling lucky, so… I think, if I buy one for myself, I’ll be getting a winning one.”

 

“Oh… I'm not going to doubt that…” Hinata mutters. “So… let’s see if I got this right. Two servings of crab sushi, two glasses of orange juice, and one viva ice… That’s all, right?”

 

Komaeda nods at him, so he raises a hand and calls one of the waiters. He wonders if his making sure if everything is complete is a waste of time because the waiter does everything he did anyway—listening to their orders carefully and repeating them from the top… Oh, well, he just didn’t want anything to go wrong.

 

“So Hinata-kun, is everything alright?” Komaeda asks as soon as the waiter leaves. “You seem on edge.”

 

“Ah… Well, not really.” Hinata carefully replies. “It’s been a while since we last went here… I just wanted to make sure we’ll both have fun.”

 

“Oh, come on, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda smiles. “I'm sure it will always be fun as long as we’re together!”

 

“Really?” Komaeda’s words flatter him so much. It feels nice, really. “That’s good to hear, thanks… so, uh, why didn’t you eat dinner yet, by the way? Normally, when you get home, you already are done with that…”

 

“Ah, Naegi-kun’s class is getting two quizzes tomorrow for subjects early in the morning, so I thought it’d be best if he goes back quickly to study.” That was Komaeda’s reply, and Hinata desperately tries to ignore the fact that the only reason why he's having dinner with Komaeda at the moment is because Naegi was unavailable. “How about you, Hinata-kun? When do you usually eat dinner anyway?”

 

“I, uh…” Hinata scratches his cheek. “To be honest, I forget most of the time… I mean, I go back to the dorm, and I always think that I should rest for a moment before going out to eat, but most of the time, I just start studying and I forget that I haven’t grabbed dinner yet…”

 

“Oh…” Komaeda frowns. “Hinata-kun, that’s not good. You work really hard and you need energy, so I think it’s important for you to not miss any meals.”

 

“Yeah, sorry about that…” Hinata clears his throat. He doesn’t know what to talk about anymore. The only topic that comes to mind is asking what subjects Naegi’s class will have quizzes for tomorrow, but Hinata kinda wants to prolong the moment of Komaeda not talking about his boyfriend. “…So how was your day?”

 

And that wasn’t a better question too because he knew that asking about Komaeda’s day will have Naegi involved, of course. “Oh, today was great! Earlier, during lunch time, Naegi-kun napped with his head on my lap. Actually, he wanted me to take a nap too, but I just had to stay awake because who would watch Naegi-kun if I'm asleep, right? I can’t just slack off like that while he's resting…”

 

Great. Hinata nods and forces himself to look as interested as possible. “That sounds really cool. Did he have a great nap?”

 

“Well, he said he did… I always get the feeling that he's just being kind whenever he compliments me though… I mean, I probably sucked as a pillow because I'm not soft at all…” Komaeda nervously chuckles. “It sucks that I suck, haha!”

 

“Hey, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk that way about yourself?” Hinata frowns. “You don’t suck.”

 

“Hah, I'm really lucky to be surrounded by kind people at least!” Komaeda smiles. “Anyway, enough about me! How did Hinata-kun’s day go?”

 

“Well… kinda uneventful, but I can say that it was peaceful. I like it.” Hinata returns the smile, though his is way smaller than Komaeda’s. “Things were way quieter ever since I blocked that anonymous number… also, uh, thanks for changing yours for me, by the way. I think that’s one of the reasons why I'm thispeaceful at the moment.”

 

‘ _I think._ ’

 

‘ _One of the reasons._ ’

 

As if.

 

In truth, it’s the biggest reason why he was this calm. It’s even why he found the strength to block the number. If Komaeda didn’t change his number, Hinata probably would be forced to reply to the asshole’s messages until this moment…

 

“Ah.” Komaeda nods. “Right. I'm glad to have been of help in reassuring you, Hinata-kun.”

 

“Yeah… so anyway, what subjects will Naegi’s class take on tomorrow?” Hinata decides to ask because Naegi has already been brought up anyway.

 

“Ah. Chemistry and Advanced Biology… I would have assisted Naegi-kun in studying, but I realized that it will be extremely impudent of me to offer. I mean, I'm sure Naegi-kun can handle his quizzes well without my help anyway, and I can bet that I’ll just be a bother if I try to help!”

 

Hinata was about to refute Komaeda’s self-deprecating statements, but he was interrupted by the waiter arriving with their food. It’s true that he has been craving for crab sushi these days, but now his mind is focused on how to go against what Komaeda says about himself instead of the food that arrived.

 

Komaeda always insults himself with ease, and what makes it worse is that his manner of speaking makes him seem like he's merely stating facts. But what Hinata actually hates the most is the fact that Komaeda does wholeheartedly believe his words.

 

“I gratefully receive this food.” Hinata says in unison with Komaeda. He heard his own voice. It was faint compared to Komaeda’s enthusiastic one. He's busy thinking if he should counter Komaeda’s claims or just let it rest for now.

 

“Ah, Hinata-kun, you really made a good choice!” Komaeda beats him to speaking first. “Crab sushi is the best!”

 

“Tuna is good too… but uh, anyway,” Hinata clears his throat. “Just so you know, I think you're actually really smart, so what you said about just being a bother if you offer your help to Naegi… I think, uh, you’ve got that wrong.”

 

“Oh, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda giggles as if Hinata delivered a joke. He didn’t. “If there's anyone who's smart here, it’s you! Anyway, you should really get started on your meal before it gets cold, you know! You're probably really hungry, causing you to say these things, haha!”

 

“It’s not because of that…” Hinata decides to let it rest for now. He finally diverts his attention to his food, and that was when he realized that he actually really is hungry. He's still sure that that’s not the reason why he's complimenting Komaeda though.

 

The taste of the crab sushi was amazing, and the fact that he really wants to eat just amplifies its taste even more. It’s been a while since he actually ate dinner with Komaeda. Last time, they just grabbed snacks, and he thinks that doesn’t count… not that he isn’t thankful for last time though. In fact, he treasures that opportunity too.

 

“So…” Komaeda speaks in between chewing. “Now that Hinata-kun is eating… does he still think I'm smart?”

 

“Of course.” Hinata furrows his eyebrows. “As I said, it’s not because I'm hungry. You really are smart.”

 

“More like lucky! I'm sure every good thing that I do is just a fluke!”

 

Hinata groans. “You're wrong.”

 

“You're kind!” Komaeda giggles. “Agree to disagree?”

 

“…Only for now.”

 

\--

 

The viva ice they got was a winning serving.

 

\--

 

“Ah, that was a satisfying meal…” Komaeda comments as soon as they were out the sushi restaurant. “Good thing my luck didn’t let me down too… It’d be bad if I did—it’s the only thing I'm good for, after all! Did Hinata-kun like the viva ice?”

 

“Yeah, I did.”

 

It’s too fast. Hinata doesn’t want this night to end yet. He wants to explore the city, stay outside until they're both really, really tired—he wants to maximize the time that he has with Komaeda because he doesn’t know when they’ll be able to go to this city together again.

 

He looks around the area, thinking of what they should do. Usually, they go to the arcade and play some games, take home some prizes too… That bit is kind of inevitable when playing with Komaeda. Hinata can remember the fond and amazed looks of the children who still happen to be around at the hours that the two of them visit the arcade.

 

“Hinata-kun?” Komaeda smiles at him, and as if he reading his mind, as if he knows that Hinata doesn’t want to go back yet, he adds. “I heard from Naegi-kun that Hagakure-kun has a shop near here. You do know Hagakure-kun, right? The Super High School Level Clairvoyant? He's from Naegi-kun’s class.”

 

“Ah, sorry, not sure…” Hinata scratches the back of his head. “Who is he again?”

 

“The guy with the big hair?” Komaeda looks at him expectantly, so Hinata feels compelled to just nod “Oh, well, he can read the future! Isn’t that amazing? I think we should give it a try! I mean, normally, I wouldn’t really believe in such things, but he's a Super High School Level, so…”

 

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.” Hinata replies. “Lead the way. Where is it?”

 

“Wait, I'm asking for directions…” Komaeda mutters as he types into his phone. Hinata didn’t even notice him taking that out. “…Ah, alright, alright. It’s even nearer than I thought. How lucky.”

 

“You know where it is now?”

 

“I guess so! Well, if I'm still lucky, we’re not going to get lost!”

 

\--

 

“Welcome, welcome!” The guy with, as Komaeda mentioned, big hair greeted them. Hagakure Yasuhiro—Hinata remembers now. This is the guy whose predictions are only right thirty percent of the time. “Know your fortune for just—oh, wait, Komaedacchi? Ooohh! It really is you! Is Naegicchi here too?”

 

Komaeda smiles, even bowing his head slightly. It’s almost unnoticeable, but Hinata caught it. “It’s just me and my roommate, Hagakure-kun. This is Hinata Hajime-kun. Hinata-kun, this is Hagakure Yasuhiro-kun.”

 

“Ah, oh.” Hinata felt compelled to slightly bow his head as well just because Komaeda did. “Hinata Hajime. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Right, right, likewise! Why’re you guys so formal?” Hagakure grins. “Didja come here to get your fortune read? I really like Naegicchi, and ya guys seem to be his friends, so maybe I can treat one of you to a free reading! Just one though! Choose well!”

 

Hinata automatically turns to Komaeda upon hearing that. “Uh, hey, you wanted to try, right?”

 

“Ah, it’s okay if Hinata-kun wants to.”

 

“Well, not really… I mean, I won’t mind. You should go for it.”

 

“Nope, I insist.” Komaeda smiles and lightly pushes him to Hagakure. “Hagakure-kun, you should read Hinata-kun’s fortune!”

 

“Yeah, yeah, sure, c’mere.” Hagakure gives Hinata a look, pointing to a chair near him. “This one’s free, but the next one won’t be, ‘kay?”

 

“Uh, yeah, sure…” Hinata slowly nods as he sits on the chair offered to him. Komaeda eagerly finds a place as well, looking at both Hagakure and Hinata curiously. “So… how exactly do you start? Do we need some warm-up or…?”

 

“Nah, nah!” Hagakure unceremoniously pulls Hinata’s hand. Hinata almost jolts. “Alright, hm, hm…”

 

Komaeda doesn’t seem unfazed. His wondering expression didn’t seem to have left his face even just for a second. Hinata turns to Hagakure again, and he seems to be looking over Hinata’s hand as if deep secrets are engraved on it. With the way he's looking, Hinata almost got the feeling that he should be worried…

 

“I get it now!” Hagakure nods to himself, letting go of Hinata’s hand. “Alright, alright, listen really closely because I’ll only say this once!”

 

Hinata doesn’t really buy this whole business, but he leans a little bit closer anyway.

 

“If ya let anyone mess with yer head, yer hair and eye colors will change!” Hagakure proclaims. Hinata doesn’t stop himself from making a confused face. “So if ya don’t want that to happen, ya better not let anyone get near anywhere yer head, Hinatacchi!”

 

“Um…”

 

“Amazing!” Komaeda happily giggles beside him. “You heard him, Hinata-kun! It doesn’t make sense now, but if it’s Hagakure-kun, it probably will mean something in the future!”

 

“Uh, yeah, thanks… I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

“How about you, Komaedacchi?” Hagakure turns to Komaeda this time. “Would you want to get your future read too? It won’t be free, but I’ll give you a discount!”

 

Komaeda chuckles. “I’ll pass for now, Hagakure-kun! Maybe some other time!”

 

“Ah?” Hagakure looks confused. “You guys goin’ already? Stay for a little longer! Since you guys’re cool enough to pass by, I’ll tell you some top secret information that the government is hiding from all of us!”

 

\--

 

The few minutes that they had to endure in Hagakure’s shop felt like years for Hinata. Komaeda was so kind, listening to Hagakure’s barely intelligible words with such an eager and interested expression. Times like this make Hinata question if he actually is special to Komaeda or if Komaeda is just naturally that nice to everyone…

 

Komaeda still had a smile on his face as they walk away from the shop, and Hinata did his best to push the growing negative thoughts in his head. He should be thankful that they're together right now instead of focusing on unpleasant things.

 

“Hagakure-kun sure is a colorful individual, huh?”

 

“Ah, yeah…” Hinata absentmindedly replies. “That’s one way to put it, I suppose…”

 

“I know Hinata-kun is not the type to believe in things like that, but hey, Hagakure-kun’s predictions have a thirty percent chance at least!”

 

“Thirty percent is not that high, you know.”

 

“Haha, oh, well!” Komaeda laughs as he looks around the city once more. Hinata internally debated if he should look around the city as well, or if he should just focus on watching Komaeda’s happy expressions. “Oh, look! That building is new, isn’t it, Hinata-kun? I don’t think it’s here the last time we went here…”

 

Hinata looks at where Komaeda’s hand is gesturing. A planetarium… This really is starting to feel like a real date. Hinata also is well aware that he's just getting ahead of himself. There's no way that Komaeda will think of this as one… considering that he's with Naegi and all. “Do you want to try? You like pretty things, right?”

 

“Ah, did I tell Hinata-kun that?” Komaeda slightly tilts his head. “I do like pretty things, so sure, I want to visit the planetarium!”

 

“Well, no, you didn’t really tell me…” Hinata murmurs as they walk towards their new destination. “I just guessed… so it’s right, huh?”

 

“Yep! A really lucky guess, Hinata-kun! Or if it’s you, it’s probably an intelligent guess, a hypothesis that’s been proven correct!” Komaeda chuckles. “I mean, a skilled person such as yourself—you wouldn’t need to rely on half-hearted things like luck! Totally unlike me! Luck is all I'm good for!”

 

“Hey, I said don’t say things like that…” Hinata can feel himself frowning again. “When will you see it? You're pretty skilled, you know…”

 

“Skilled in scoring flukes, you mean! That’s not even a skill!” Komaeda laughs again. “Oh, well, look, it’s a good thing that the planetarium is still open. I wonder if many people are inside tonight…”

 

“Well, we’ll find out when we get in.” Hinata replies. “What do you think though? Do you think there will be many people inside?”

 

“My gut tells me no… but you're right, it’s better if we see for ourselves.”

 

\--

 

Komaeda was right.

 

There weren’t many people inside. It’s probably due to the fact that it’s actually pretty late at night, or maybe because the planetarium itself seems new. Maybe it’s still not pretty known around these parts… so it’s a good thing that they were able to find it then.

 

A lucky thing?

 

It wasn’t very bright inside. There were really dim lights in each room, but done really carefully so the exhibits will be accentuated. The artificial stars projected almost look real, and Hinata would be lying if he says that he doesn’t find this entire setup romantic.

 

He doesn’t know if Komaeda noticed, but the people around them—most of them are couples.

 

“Uh, Komaeda…” Hinata clears his throat. He wonders why he's so nervous. “…Is it okay if I hold your hand? I mean, it’s really dark here, so… just like earlier, I don’t want to be separated.”

 

“Oh, sure, I don’t mind.” Hinata can’t quite see his facial expression because of the dim lighting, but he can guess that Komaeda has a small smile on his face. For someone who likes pretty things a lot, the planetarium must be a really heavenly place.

 

Hinata’s hand meets Komaeda’s smooth one again, and he gets the strong feeling that he just wants to stay in this moment forever—under the beautiful stars, even if they aren’t real, and holding hands with Komaeda in a place that doesn’t have many people.

 

Hinata closes his eyes.

 

It’d be better if things are always like this…

 

“Hinata-kun?” Komaeda’s soft voice causes him to slowly open his eyes. “This is a pretty cliché thing to talk about, but it just really, really fits since we’re at a planetarium… You know about the story of Hikoboshi and Orihime, don’t you?”

 

“Ah, yeah… Of course…” It’s a quite popular legend about separated lovers. It’s even celebrated every seventh day of the seventh month—the only day Hikoboshi and Orihime can meet in a year. “Doesn’t everyone? It even has its own day.”

 

“Yep, Tanabata.” Komaeda giggles. “Forgive my stupid question then! But still, it’s a pretty interesting story, don’t you agree?”

 

“Oh? I didn’t know that you'd be the type to be interested…”

 

“Well, I think Tanabata symbolizes hope! They may be just fictional characters, but it’s the day that Hikoboshi and Orihime anticipate each year. They hope for it! And every seventh day of the seventh month, I'm sure their hopes are shining really brightly!”

 

“Ah, yeah, now that you put it that way…” Komaeda really has always been fond of hope. No wonder the Super High School Level Hope—

 

No, no, Hinata won’t think of that right now.

 

“What did Hinata-kun wish for last Tanabata?”

 

It’s nothing interesting, actually. Average wishes for an average person—good luck in academics, good luck in romantic endeavors, happiness… and other simple stuff like that. “…Should I tell? They say you shouldn’t tell others what you wished for or it wouldn’t come true, right?”

 

“Haha, well!” Komaeda giggles. “So if it came true… it’s okay to tell, right? Did any of Hinata-kun’s wishes come true?”

 

“Um…” Hinata tries to recall all of his wishes. “…I think I might have wished for good health, and hey, I'm still pretty healthy right now.”

 

“Haha, Hinata-kun has always been pretty healthy anyway!”

 

“Right… so how about you? What did you wish for?”

 

“I wished for hope. You could say I hoped for hope, haha!”

 

“That’s not surprising…”

 

“Oh, there!” Komaeda lifts his free hand, pointing at a particular constellation. Hinata follows the direction that Komaeda's pertaining to, but he still wonders if he's indeed looking at the right group of stars. “The summer triangle.”

 

“The constellation that has Hikoboshi and Orihime…” Hinata whispers. “…Right?”

 

“Yep!” Komaeda replies almost too happily.

 

Just for a little longer—

 

Hinata wants to stay in this moment just for a little longer.

 

\--

 

“It really was beautiful inside!” Komaeda breathes deeply as they go out, almost as if he was holding his breath the entire time. “Sometimes, fabricated things can look better than the real ones… not to say that I rather have fabrication though!”

 

“Yeah, of course…” Hinata decides to slowly let go of Komaeda’s hand. There's no reason to continue holding it since they're once again in the bright city. “…Maybe we can go and do real stargazing sometime.”

 

“Ah, yes, an excellent idea!” Komaeda looks up the sky, as if thinking about Hinata’s invitation already. “Probably some other time… it’d be great if we plan it properly. I’ll look into the best spots for stargazing!”

 

“Right, that’s awesome.” Hinata comments. “So… what do you want to do next?”

 

“Do you want to check out the arcade that we used to always visit?” Komaeda turns to him. His smile really is contagious. “I want to take advantage of my luck before it runs out!”

 

“Ah, sure, of course. I was thinking of the arcade too earlier…” Hinata nods. He can’t stop himself from smiling. “Let’s run!”

 

“Hey, now, you know I don’t like running, Hinata-kun!”

 

Hinata can almost hear the pout in Komaeda’s voice as he takes off. He wonders if it’s unreasonable to be this happy, but for now, he doesn’t really give a damn.

 

He's happy right now, that’s all he knows, and that’s not a bad thing, right?

 

\--

 

Hinata was breathing heavily when they reached the arcade. He looked over Komaeda’s direction to see if the latter is the same way, and Hinata was glad to see that he was not the only one. He supposes that that was to be expected anyway because he can remember that Komaeda mentioned to him back then that his stamina wasn’t really good.

 

“Ah…” Komaeda spoke in between his breaths. “…It’s closed.”

 

Komaeda’s disappointment was evident in his face, and Hinata wondered if that was what he looked like at the moment too. He himself was feeling frustration, but he wanted to alleviate Komaeda’s. He wonders what he can do at the moment to accomplish that though…

 

“I'm really sorry, Hinata-kun…” Komaeda’s voice was even breathier than before. Despite the fact that Hinata is slightly sweating due to running, he shivered. “It was my idea to go to the arcade, so this is my fault…”

 

 “No, it’s not your fault.” Hinata quickly refutes. “I would have suggested checking out the arcade too, so don’t be too hard on yourself… but uh, there's a photo booth over there. It seems to be still working at least. Do you wanna try?”

 

Komaeda smiles. “If that’s what Hinata-kun wants.”

 

“No! I mean, uh…” Hinata clears his throat. “I asked if you wanted to try… if you don’t want to, it’s okay too…”

 

“I don’t really mind.” Komaeda places a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “At least we can have a remembrance. It’s been a long time since we’ve gone out like this, after all.”

 

Hinata doesn’t know why he felt glad about the fact that even Komaeda acknowledges that. Maybe it makes him feel nice that he's not the only one who noticed, at least. “You're right…” He was about to say again that he really missed hanging out with Komaeda, but he bit back the words because he's pretty sure he said that a lot of times already. “Let’s go inside before someone beats us to it.”

 

Komaeda giggles. “Silly Hinata-kun! It’s not like there's anyone else around anyway!”

 

Hinata briefly remembers the fact that he, too, thought that there was no one else around back then, but he still got beaten to it—beaten to being the one with Komaeda.

 

He shakes the thoughts off as soon as they come.

 

\--

 

It’s cramped inside the photo booth, and this probably is the closest that Hinata has been to Komaeda for a long while. This probably too is the closest that they’ll ever be. Their arms are touching side by side, and just when Hinata thought it wasn’t possible anymore, Komaeda moves even closer, looking at him.

 

Hinata feels so self-conscious it isn’t even funny anymore.

 

“I deeply apologize that you had to share your personal space with someone like me.” Komaeda speaks softly, his entire expression seeming apologetic. “If you change your mind about taking a photo, then we can go out…”

 

“…Not at all.” Quite the contrary, actually. Hinata feels horrible for enjoying this, but he _is_ enjoying it all the same. “You might be the one uncomfortable instead, so let’s just take the photos quickly.”

 

Komaeda nods at him, smiling again, as the machine starts playing some prerecorded instructions. Hinata doesn’t even know why he's feeling so nervous about merely taking photos with Komaeda. He doesn’t know why he's thinking hardly about the poses that he can use, but all he knows is he wants to be as close as possible without crossing his boundaries.

 

If he doesn’t do this properly, Komaeda might notice Hinata’s feelings for him…

 

And while that idea has its own allure, Hinata knew that it isn’t practical right now.

 

 The machine tells them to get ready, and as it started its countdown, Hinata slowly slings an arm around Komaeda. He was almost scared that Komaeda would react negatively, so he was infinitely relieved that Komaeda didn’t seem to mind, even smiling happily at the camera.

 

The first photo gets snapped, and as soon as it did, he feels Komaeda’s arm slinging around him this time. He sincerely hopes his blush won’t be too visible in the photo.

 

The second photo gets snapped, and Hinata was embarrassed to admit that Komaeda simply slinging his arm around him was enough to make him feel dizzy in the best way possible. He weakly lifts his hand higher and shows the camera a peace sign—at least there was no need to manage a smile because he knew that that will be automatic after what just happened. He sees Komaeda flashing a thumbs-up to the camera at the corner of his eyes.

 

The third photo gets snapped, and Hinata makes sure to grin as widely as possible. He wants to discard all his negativity, he wants to ignore all the pain he has felt, even if it’s only during this moment in the photo booth. As short-lived as it was, at least it will be immortalized in the photo. He feels Komaeda’s finger on his cheek, and his smile widens even more.

 

The fourth photo gets snapped, and Hinata questions himself, questions everything, asking if it’s normal to feel _euphoric_ because of a mini photo shoot. He decides he doesn’t care as their photos gets printed out because they look so happy, everything looks so perfect, and nothing hurts.

 

“Hinata-kun!” Komaeda calls his name quite happily, and Hinata turns to him, his smile still not being wiped away from his face. “I think our photos turned out really well!”

 

“I think so too.” Hinata looks at the photos, now in Komaeda’s hand. He gently pulls the second photo—the one where Komaeda slung his arm around Hinata—because he knows that he wants to look at it closer and longer. “…Komaeda?”

 

“Yes, Hinata-kun?” Komaeda replies, still looking at the photo in his hand.

 

“I want to keep this one.” Hinata whispers. “And the last photo.” The one where Komaeda’s touching Hinata’s cheek.

 

“Alright! I’ll be keeping the first and third then!” Komaeda hands him the photo that he requested. “I'm so glad Hinata-kun finally smiled like this again! It’s been a long time since you did, after all… I really wanted to cheer you up.”

 

“You did?” Hinata slips the photos in his wallet as they go out the photo booth. “…Thank you for worrying about me. It means a lot.”

 

“Hinata-kun always looks stressed and tired, and if my measly presence was able to make you smile like this…” Komaeda nods, looking satisfied. “Then I'm happy, really happy.”

 

“Komaeda…” Hinata wanted to argue that no, his presence wasn’t measly at all, and that if anything, it’s one of the things that Hinata wishes for most of the time, but for some reason, he can’t seem to say anything but words of gratitude. “…Thank you so much, really. Thank you.”

 

“Come on, Hinata-kun…” Komaeda turns to him with a smile. “You shouldn’t thank me for that.”

 

That was when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulls it out, still with a smile, remembering once again that he's at his most peaceful right now. Just a week before this, he was dreading the feeling of his phone vibrating, dreading the feeling of receiving a message, but now, that day feels so far away—

 

‘ _You blocked my number, so I got a new one. :-)_ ’

 

‘ _Heads up, Nagito was lying to you. He didn’t really change his number. You really think he’d do that for you? :-) Do you want me to prove it?_ ’

 

All the warmth that Hinata was feeling immediately left his body. He feels like he was suddenly incapable of moving, and his eyes remained glued on his phone’s screen. He wants to tremble because he knows that he needs a defense for this, but his body won’t even do that.

 

He's just there, stupidly staring at the message, breathing heavily.

 

“Hinata-kun, are you—“ Komaeda gets interrupted halfway when his own phone starts to ring, making a confused face as he pulls it out from his pocket. Hinata can finally feel his body trembling slightly as his eyes follow Komaeda’s actions. He doesn’t know why he still can’t move. “…Hello? Who is this?”

 

_Why?_

Komaeda pulls away the phone from his ear, confusion still all over his expression. “Weird…”

 

Hinata’s phone vibrates in his hand again, and the message pops up.

 

‘ _See? You can even ask him what number called him. You'll see that it’s mine :-)_ ’

 

_Why? Why? Why?_

“Komaeda…” Hinata forces out. He doesn’t know why he gets the feeling of wanting to throw up at the moment. “…May I see which number called you?”

 

“Oh, sure.” Komaeda hands him his phone. “It might be our classmate, and I just don’t have their number saved…”

 

Hinata hoped for that. Maybe it’s just a classmate. Maybe it’s just a well-timed coincidence. Maybe the anonymous person was just playing with him again. That’s not very farfetched, right? That’s better than the idea of Komaeda lying to him. He knows he rather trust Komaeda over a person who terrorizes him via text.

 

But then and there, Hinata’s hope got crushed.

 

\--

 

‘ _Did you confront him about it? :-)_ ’

 

‘ _No. I'm serious, what do you want? Why are you doing this?_ ’

 

‘ _Aw, I thought for sure you'd confront him, lol. I mean, he lied to you and all. Do you still like him?_ ’

 

‘ _I still do. If it’s that easy for me to just stop liking him, then I would have done so way before this._

 _Don’t ignore my questions. Why are you doing this?_ ’

 

‘ _Because I believe that you're a disgusting Reserve Course Student who did nothing but buy the name of the academy._ ’

 

‘ _Okay, thanks, I didn’t know that, that’s new. Following your logic, are you texting all the Reserve Course Students?_ ’

 

‘ _No. Just you. :-)_ ’

 

‘ _What the hell is up with your reasoning then? You're not making sense._ ’

 

‘ _You're the only one who gained the privilege to mingle with the main course anyway. In short, the most impudent among the impudent ones._ ’

 

‘ _Thanks. Are you done insulting me?_ ’

 

‘ _It doesn’t sit well with me that an untalented individual was able to get in the country’s most prestigious school because of money._ ’

 

‘ _So it’s basically… ‘I don’t like what this person is doing, so I'm going to terrorize them until they quit!’ You sound like a child._ ’

 

‘ _Don’t snark at me. I'm going to ring Nagito :-)_ ’

 

‘ _Alright, I'm sorry. So what do you want me to do? Why are you doing this? You're not really answering my questions._ ’

 

‘ _You were able to mingle with the deserving ones just because you have money. I'm going to ask you to do something, and if you do it, I’ll stop texting you. You'll never receive a text from me again._ ’

 

‘ _Alright. I'm down with that. That sounds really good. What do you want?_ ’

 

‘ _I want you to tell a fellow student that you're, in fact, a lowly Reserve Course Student. I don’t care who as long as you do it. The fact that you're mingling with the main course without anyone else knowing makes me sick._ ’

 

‘ _You sound like you're from the main course, and you already know. Matsuda Yasuke, the Super High School Level Neurologist, knows as well. Are you guys not enough?_ ’

 

‘ _Not him, not me. He already knows, I already know, we don’t count. If you don’t do this properly, I’ll tell Nagito :-)_ ’

 

‘ _Okay, you don’t have to do that. Does the person have to be in my class?_ ’

 

‘ _Not necessarily :-)_ ’

 

‘ _How will you even know I already told someone?_ ’

 

‘ _I just will. I find out about everything. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my word. If you keep yours, I’ll never bother you again :-)_ ’

 

\--

 

That person.

 

The ideal person whom Hinata can tell his secret—he's nice and understanding, not in his class—Hinata doesn’t really want anyone in his class to know… especially not Komaeda. Hinata will never be able to face Komaeda again if he finds out.

 

The ideal person whom Hinata can tell his secret—Naegi, that is.

 

In hindsight, if he doesn’t want Komaeda to know, it’s even riskier to tell Naegi instead of one of his classmates. Naegi is closer to Komaeda than all of the people in their class combined. Naegi is closer to Komaeda than Hinata will ever be.

 

It’s probably stupid to tell him of all people, but still…

 

Naegi can be trusted, right?

 

Hinata just knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading once again <3  
> by the way, i have tumblr so if ever you guys wanna talk about transversal, dingle ropers, math (please talk math to me), or basically anything  
> it's partridgeonapeartree.tumblr.com :D


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